Another Weekly Dinner Plan for your Family

I recently received an email from a reader thanking me for the weekly dinner plan I posted.  She had tried and enjoyed one of the (very easy) recipes.  I love to hear positive feedback!

Because of the reader's email, I decided to write a new dinner plan for you, complete with a couple more easy recipes.

Night #1:
Chicken Fajitas: see recipe below

Night #2:
Leftovers

Night #3:
BLT's!  We joke that my 5-year old son likes to eat a B and I like to eat a BL.  My husband is the only one that actually eats a BLT.  I always put a big side salad with lots of veggies (my son likes carrots and mini cucumbers in his).

Night #4:
Burgers on the grill if warm or Sloppy Joe's.  I love Sloppy Joes and always try out new recipes.  Or I used to.  Until I discovered the best recipe EVER on www.mspimama.com.  I have included the recipe at the bottom of this post.  I like to make frozen green beans on burger night and if I have enough time, I'll cut a russet potato thinly, and bake it on a cookie sheet.  Just smother the potatoe slices with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Cook at 425 for about 20-25 minutes (flip once, after 12 minutes.)

Night #5:
Leftovers!

Night #6:
Breakfast for dinner!  As you know, we love breakfast in our house.  I have this amazing Martha Stewart pancake recipe, but it requirements buttermilk, which requires some planning.  So I searched and found a decent pancake recipe that requires regular milk.  See recipe below.  I always pair our pancakes with bananas, blueberries and organic breakfast sausage.

Night #7:
Order takeout or a pizza!

I always stress about dinner - just about every day.  It looms over me.  I try and prepare (at least in my head) at the beginning of the week so we don't have to worry about "what's for dinner" at 5:00pm.

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients

1. 1 teaspoon pure chili powder
2. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
3. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
5. 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
6. 1 tablespoon cornstarch
7. 1/4 cup water
8. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
9. 1 whole skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch strips
10. 1 green bell pepper—cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
11. 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
12. 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
13. 8 flour tortillas, warmed in the microwave
14. Shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa and sour cream, for serving

Directions

1.      In a resealable plastic bag, combine the chile powder with the salt, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cornstarch, water and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken, bell pepper and onion, seal and knead gently to coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

2.      Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet until shimmering. Empty the contents of the bag into the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.

3.      Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a large bowl and serve with the warmed tortillas, lettuce, cheese, salsa, sour cream and lime wedges.

 Sloppy Joes

1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1 tbsp. dried minced onion

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

2 tbsp. ketchup

1-1/2 tsp. white vinegar

2 tbsp. packed brown sugar

3/4 tsp. MSPI-friendly Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

MSPI-friendly hamburger buns

Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly browned, stirring to crumble. Add the celery, cover the pan, and cook until tender and transparent, about 5 minutes. Drain off any grease.

Stir in the onions, tomato sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture. Season with salt and garlic powder. Heat to a simmer over low heat, and cook until thoroughly heated and onions are tender, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Spoon the hot beef mixture onto buns and serve.

Easy Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in milk, egg and oil. Mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

**In the comments section, someone suggested adding 1 tsp. vanilla, which I did.  I liked it, but I think I will try ½ a tsp. next time.